Will Self – Great Apes. To remind people that sometimes we're just fucking monkeys.
Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
481–490 of 529 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#482The Count of Monte Cristo , by Alexander Dumas. I'd read thousands of books, novels, and other literature and never had an answer to "your favorite book?" and thought I just wasn't meant to ever have one... Until I read it. Since then, I've bought copies solely to have on hand to gift to people I actually care about. To drive home the point of just how much I loved this book, I went on to learn French just so I could…
Didn't expect to see Dantès appear in this thread, but I love it too and am, coincidentally, rereading it right now, in the Buss. So fun, so satisfying.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#483The Denial of Death - Ernest Becker
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#484These days I present anyone with this book:
Mindset,The New Psychology of Success https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCKPHG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...
and they tell me it makes a difference to their lifestyle
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#485Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I pay it forward. Stopped smoking six years ago and haven't had the desire to start again since. it feels great. I actually played the nintendo DS adaptation of the book, which was also available on ios for a while. it turned all the points the book was trying to make into a series of minigames that really illustrated the principles beautifully.
Quick question, how did the book influence you to stop smoking?
Not OP, but I stopped thanks to this book (the French translation) as well.
It does not try to make smokers feel guilty or use the usual rethoric of addict = weak. What really make it click for me was its deconstruction of the addiction mechanism. After reading the book, when I wanted a cigarette I knew exactly why, and I was convinced the feeling would fade quickly and subsequent occurrences would get milder as well.
HTH.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#486Earlier quoted context omitted.
Native American traditions often don't distinguish between hallucinations and actual transmorphing into something else. So while it's been a few years since I read it, it wouldn't necessarily surprise me. But the four agreements are what are important: 1) always do your best 2) never make assumption 3) don't take things personally 4) be impeccable with your word 2&3 were the most help to me in both work and dating.
You mixed up 1 and 4, but that's no problem. Doing your best means that you will never be 100% perfect in following up on 1, 2 and 3, so make the best of it and forgive yourself if you forget to follow them. For me 3 was very important, with many small things that annoyed me, people getting in my way etc. They don't do that to annoy me, and of course I know that, but to fully realise that was important. Be impeccable…
I guess I never thought of the order as important. Like I said there are two that are the most important to me, and the others that I need less reminding of.
Though, since being married and having kids, I do find being impeccable with my word a little more difficult when you're out with a friend for a drink (very rare these days) and your wife asks you when you will be home... it's very easy to say "I'm on my way" when in fact you just got your last drink and you know it's going to be 20-30 minutes before you leave, but saying that will might get you in some hot water. I definitely need to do better on that one.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#487"The Four Agreements", I wish I had read it when I was younger, I give it to anyone who seems to feel other people are their problem.
I've never gotten past the first agreement in this book because I was never able to succeed at it. I set myself a goal once to abide by the agreement for just a weekend, at which point I would move on to the rest of the book. Consciously choosing not to say negative things about others put in stark contrast how frequently and casually I, and others, were negative about those around us. It was surprising not only how hard it was to not say negative things, but also how hard it made it to communicate with other people. I made it until the end of the day Sunday, and failed, in a story too petty to bother recounting.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#488Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
It's the story of Pixar and there's so many things I enjoyed about this book. It helped validate for me many of my instincts in running a creative business.
The Martian by Andy Weir I very much enjoyed the story and how it was all approached.
Seven Eves by Neil Stephenson Similar to his other books (Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon) I've gifted these a few times. I really enjoy his method of storytelling and his stories appeal to the geek in me as well.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#489Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Black Swan is on my list too.
Is it really that good? I've started it a few times. Nassim Nicholas Taleb seems to make sure never to use one word when ten could possibly be used, especially if some of them about himself.
While I can't disagree too much with my sibling comments, I do believe that the shift in mental model is worth the criticisms.
It's a shame his style, wordiness and pretension sometimes gets in the way of communicating a really significant and fundamental concept that I believe everyone should incorporate into their world view.
Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?
#490Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Not sure how old you are, but when Bush 2 was in power the same comments were made. I'm sure there are some who complained of that, but nobody I know did. There is a categorical difference between merely having a different policy agenda (most Republicans) and outright rejecting basic Constitutional principles (ex. religious equality, free press, no torture). I didn't vote for Romney in 2012, but I certainly didn't…
No one is pretending all politicians are equivalent, but this constant drum of so and so is just like a Nazi or Hitler is simply a naive intellectual exercise. A politician using fear of something and promising something else is their bread and butter. It does not make that politician like Hitler. Every President skirts around the constitution. You can look up numerous examples where Obama has bypassed it or took a v…
First of all, calling someone a fascist is different than calling someone Hitler.
Do you think such comparisons are automatically invalid? Despite there being multiple fascist parties throughout history.
If you think it's invalid for Trump, is it also invalid for Le Pen? Hofer?
> A politician using fear of something and promising something else is their bread and butter.
All politicians use fear occasionally, but for a fascist it's used as a wholesale replacement for ideology. Compare the acceptance speeches of Clinton and Trump and tell me there's no difference. Trump's speech was literally depicting America as a fallen nation beset by enemies within and without, only capable of being fixed through his singular vision.
> Every President skirts around the constitution. You can look up numerous examples where Obama has bypassed it or took a very liberal reading.
Yes, all Presidents try to push the limits of their power. They don't campaign on it though and gloat in it.
Take waterboarding, for example. Bush allowed it, but he didn't gloat about it and his argument for it was primarily that waterboarding is "not torture." Trump, on the other hand, makes no pretenses: he openly advocates torture, even if it is blatantly unconstitutional.
It's the difference between playing within a constitutional framework while trying to expand your power (most presidents) and having no respect for constitutional checks (Trump).
> The DNC emails recently came out where journalist were making sure their stories were okay with the DNC before publishing.
The DNC is a private organization. If a journalist decides to run stories by them, it's a bit ridiculous but in no way unconstitutional.
On the other hand, Trump calling for prosecution of anyone who writes negative things for him is literally what the First Amendment is supposed to prevent.
Look, I realize that a lot of people reach to the Hitler comparison far too liberally. I don't know a single other modern American politician who deserves the label. But to pretend that Trump is just another normal politician is to have your head in the sand. The previous nominee from his own party won't even support him, nor will the previous president. That's unprecedented. When you have conservative outlets like the National Review calling Trump a fascist, maybe you should consider that something's different this time.